Milk from cows of different ?-casein genotypes as a source of ?-casomorphin-7.

MedLine Citation:

PMID:
22080615
Owner:
NLM
Status:
Publisher

Abstract/OtherAbstract:

The aim of this study was to quantify ?-casomorphin-7 in raw, hydrolyzed and processed milk in different stages of the cow lactation. The obtained results lead to the following conclusion: the highest amount of ?-casomorphin-7 released from the hydrolyzed and processed milk is related to the ?-casein A1 allele, irrespective of a lactation period. Some traces of ?-casomorphin-7 in milk from cows with the ?-casein A2 variant are probably a result of the acid hydrolysis of ?-casein during its digestion with pepsin. It has been shown that processing of raw milk at high temperatures affects, in a slight degree, the differences between ?-casomorphins-7 originating from different ?-casein genotypes. The obtained results suggest a possibility to provide a new nutritional factor for milk quality based on the content of ?-casomorphin-7 liberated in vivo from milk digested by a mixture of the gastrointestinal enzymes.